


An Very Unexpected Meeting, AKA The Time Gwaine Realised That Merlin is Very Unsubtle

by BlueandBronze



Series: Snapshots [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Gwaine Being Gwaine (Merlin), Gwaine Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-16
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-06-29 15:45:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19833355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueandBronze/pseuds/BlueandBronze
Summary: Merlin gets a day off work, and goes to see Gwaine. Gwaine is delighted to meet him again, and soon realises something about Merlin.





	An Very Unexpected Meeting, AKA The Time Gwaine Realised That Merlin is Very Unsubtle

**Author's Note:**

> This is just an idea I had that I decided to play around with, so, enjoy! :D

** An Very Unexpected Meeting **

  


The tavern looked perfect. Wooden beams, a cheerful sign decorated with a picture of two mugs toasting, raucous laughter on every side, a group of people gambling in the corner with dice. Perfect. 

Gwaine walked up the barman, who was less cheery than his surroundings, he ordered his drink, and took it away to the corner, to watch events for a while. The drink was surprisingly good, and the people surprisingly entertaining to watch. All in all, not a bad place, he mused. 

The door opened not long after he had settled. He heard it, but he was engrossed in the table-next-doors argument. It was petty, and hilarious, and perfectly good entertainment. That was, until he heard his name. 

“Gwaine?” The bar keeper asked. He was talking to the person who had just entered. 

Gwaine stiffened. He didn’t turn, but he listened far more intently than he had been doing previously. 

“Yeah, long hair, kind of wavy, called Gwaine?” The voice was familiar, although he couldn’t quite place it…

“From what I’ve heard in other places, he’s either been here before, possibly on his way, or might actually be here now?”

“That sounds like information that’s worth a price…” Gwaine felt surprised. Evidently the ask-ee was as well. 

“Is it? It’s just, he’s a friend, and I can’t find him, and I had a day off work...” 

_Friend?_ Suddenly it hit him like a punch. He _knew_ he had recognised the voice. He blamed the fact that he had simply never expected to see him again, for how long it had taken him to realise.

He spun around in the chair, so that he was facing the two. The ask-ee, sure enough, looked exactly the same. Short messy black hair, blue neckerchief, red shirt and a jacket. 

“Merlin?” He grinned widely, as Merlin turned to look at him. His face lit up at the sight of Gwaine. 

“Gwaine!” 

The barman grumbled a little, as Gwaine sat back down on the bench, and gestured for Merlin to join him, which he did cheerfully. 

“How come you’re here?” Gwaine asked, as Merlin sat himself down on the stool opposite. 

“Oh, all servants get a day off, once in a while, and, well, thought I’d come find you.” He shrugged. 

“How’d you find me?”

“Wasn’t easy. This is about the...fourth? Fifth?” He shook his head, “I don’t know. Point is, been in _a lot_ of taverns around, and anyway, finally found this place!” 

Wow. Gwaine couldn’t help but feel a genuine smile start to grow. This had never happened before, and he was surprised how much he liked the fact that Merlin had gone out of his way to find _him._

“Well, sounds like you’ve earned a drink,” Gwaine grinned. Merlin grinned back. His happiness was infectious. 

Merlin stood up, the stool creaking slightly. Gwaine shot out an arm and pulled him back into his seat. 

“Nah, on me,” He chuckled.

Merlin raised his eyebrows, smiling. “Oh no, I remember what happens when you buy people drinks. I still don’t think Arthur’s forgotten about the bill from The Rising Sun,” He joked.

Gwaine laughed. He hadn’t laughed like that in a long time, an actual, genuine laugh.

This was going to be a good evening. 

~*~

  


Merlin helped Gwaine up the stairs. He could have gotten up perfectly easily, he’d told Merlin several times, he really could have, if the room just stopped _spinning_ , it would be fine, the room was just inconsiderate like that. Merlin had paid no interest and had led him away. The room was small and had two small beds on either side of it, and a large heavy looking chest between, with an oddly flat top. The floorboards were wood, and seemed perfectly structurally sound, but were so unnecessarily creaky that the idea of walking across it soundlessly was laughable. 

Merlin dumped Gwaine on the closest bed, which also creaked ominously. 

The night had been a good one. Filled with conversations where you simultaneously are talking about everything, and nothing at all. Merlin, it turned out was most certainly _not_ an experienced drinker but had turned out to be surprisingly good at gambling, and had somehow managed to win multiple times, and end with all his opponents remaining good natured. Impossible, but somehow, it had happened. Who knew? 

“Another time?” Merlin asked, cheerily. 

“If you manage to wangle another day off, absolutely.” Gwaine went to sit back on the bed, and somehow managed to smack his head into the headboard, with a surprisingly loud crack. 

Merlin leapt up to help, but Gwaine quickly reassured him, and lay back. Silence descended, and soon, Gwaine felt the oncoming sleep rising up to claim him…

~*~

  


The floorboards creaking woke him. Or maybe it was the pounding in his head. Maybe it was both. He opened his eyes fractionally, but there was _light,_ and he didn’t want to deal with that just yet. He didn’t move. He was too tired. He listened to the sounds of Merlin quietly pulling on his boots and collecting his bag. And then to the noise of paper rustling, a pen nib being attached. A gentle smell of the ink began to fill the room. Gwaine opened his eye slightly. Sunlight was beginning to stretch into the room. Merlin was writing a letter. Evidently finishing, he folded up the note, and Gwaine saw it was addressed to him. Maybe Merlin hadn’t wanted to wake him? He was too tired to think just yet, his eyes closed, and he began to relax…

He heard Merlin step closer, and then there was a hand on his forehead. Odd. But was he prepared to deal with this oddness? No. An army of bandits could have charged in, and Gwaine would do nothing but just try to _sleep_. So, if Merlin wanted to put his hand on Gwain’s forehead, sure. 

_“Hálige”_ Merlin murmured.

  


The hand grew a little warmer, and Gwain’s head felt uncomfortably hot for a moment, and the pounding ceased.

He felt the shock. 

_Since when did Merlin have magic?_

He opened his eyes. Merlin had his bag and was just walking out. 

  


“What are you doing?” Gwaine asked blearily. 

  


“Um, getting back? I’m going to be late, but hopefully it’ll be alright…didn’t know you were awake honestly.”

  


Gwaine’s head no longer felt hot. He could see perfectly well. His head was barely throbbing. He had recognised the words. Magic. Merlin had magic. Well, he had certainly not expected that. 

Well the headache was gone. 

And Merlin wasn’t saying anything about it. Gwaine wondered for a second whether he had just forgotten about Merlin’s magic, whether he _had_ known, because Merlin was acting as if absolutely nothing had happened. 

Then a thought occurred to him. 

Did Merlin think that Gwaine had simply not _noticed_? 

He looked up, Merlin was just opening the door. 

  


“Oh Gwaine, where are you thinking of heading next? So, I can find you more easily next time?”

  


“Ummmmm…” Gwaine had no idea. “North? Look-”

Merlin had a hand on the door but turned back. “What is it? I think I’m going to be late back.”

Merlin was late. This would be a long conversation. “You know, doesn’t matter, talk another time.”. 

  


“Alright, see you sometime,” Merlin grinned, before darting out the door. 

It closed behind him. 

Gwaine probably should have mentioned the magic. That was definitely a conversation topic for another time then.

**Author's Note:**

> Hálige - heal up/get well/save/be saved


End file.
